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Keeping the public safe

The Nursing Council

The Council’s role is to ensure that nurses are competent and fit to practise nursing:

It receives notifications of health or competence concerns that may impact on nurses’ ability to practise safely or competently

It also investigates complaints about nurses where the conduct has not affected a health consumer or where the Health and Disability Commissioner has referred a complaint that affects a health consumer to the Council for appropriate action

It also considers court convictions that may reflect adversely on a nurse’s fitness to practise.

The Council receives complaints about conduct or notifications about health or competence concerns from employers, other health professionals, health consumers or others or may take action where no complaint or competence notification has been made.

The Health and Disability Commissioner

The role of the Commissioner (in summary) is to promote respect for and observance of the rights of health consumers and disability services consumers and to investigate any action that appears to be in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights.

The Commissioner may investigate any health provider including the authority of a hospital and mangers of institutions as well as anyone who provides health services to the public.

The Commissioner receives complaints from health consumers or others on their behalf or may investigate on his or her own initiative